Many iOS 11 features seem to be inspired by the jailbreak community. Among them, a brand new call audio routing option in accessibility settings that allows you to set your iPhone to automatically answer incoming calls on your behalf, should you wish so.

This optional feature supports regular calls via your carrier’s mobile network, as well as Wi-Fi calls, FaceTime audio and video calls and any VoIP calls originating from third-party apps that use Apple’s CallKit framework, such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and more.

There, you’ll see the call routing options which include settings like Bluetooth headsets, the iPhone speaker and more. These options are also available on prior iOS editions. But look at the bottom and you’ll see a brand new menu, labeled Auto-Answer Calls.

Kat Holmes is the former principal director of Inclusive Design at Microsoft. In this episode, we talk about the definition of inclusive design, take an inside look at her “special ops” design unit, and dive into the best method for deploying human-centered design.

While advances in personal technology continue at a rapid pace, at times their designers seem to forget about the population that could perhaps benefit from it the most. Stabelfeldt says just the ability to charge a phone with a wheelchair didn’t even exist until a few years ago.

But features like Apple’s “Home” app allow Stabelfeldt to control a variety of smart accessories in his house — from door locks and window shades, to lights and his garage door. The best part for Stabelfeldt? He can command Apple’s intelligent digital assistant Siri to work it all.

…
A Game Changer
“We put a lot of time and effort into making sure our products are as accessible as possible for all users,” said Apple’s Sarah Herrlinger. She has worked at Apple for nearly 14 years and is their Senior Manager of accessibility policy and initiatives.

“For some people, doing something like turning on your lights or opening a blind or changing your thermostat might be seen as a convenience, but for others, that represents empowerment, and independence, and dignity,” she told NBC News.
…

“HomeKit and Switch Control and Siri have given me a lot of value and a lot of opportunities to demonstrate that I’m a quality man and I’m a man of integrity,” Todd Stabelfeldt. “To get up every day and go to work: Everybody’s valuable, everybody has worth, everybody should have the opportunity to demonstrate it.”

Introducing Liftware Level — a new product to help hold a utensil at the angle needed to enjoy any meal. Liftware Level is designed to help people with limited hand and arm mobility, which may be related to cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, Huntington’s disease, or post-stroke deficits, eat more easily.

A colleague of mine has a special needs daughter and is easily one of the hardest working moms I know. Recently she told me about her frustrations with finding enough time in the day — she said she’s always hearing about different ways to use her daughter’s uniqueness to help her blossom, but never has the time to sit and do the research.

Fortunately, finding the best research is my specialty!

While putting together some resources for my friend, I realized there are countless other parents with special needs children who need support. I decided to broaden my research and share my collection, which is why I’m reaching out to you today.

]]>If the iPhone 7 removes the Home button it will become less accessiblehttp://lifekludger.net/2016/05/19/30254/
http://lifekludger.net/2016/05/19/30254/#commentsThu, 19 May 2016 08:20:37 +0000http://lifekludger.net/?p=30254
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One in particular has me worried for the future if it comes to fruition.

It’s rumoured the home button could be replaced by a touch sensor.

Not being able to have a physical button to press would spell the end of the phone’s usefulness for anyone using a stick or other part of their body to go home on an iPhone. For example, I use my knuckle as my fingers are permanently bent.

Maybe the touch sensor would be able to recognise my knuckle-print? I might give it a try. However accessibility is about providing options for characteristics a person cannot change – every time an option is removed is a time a device becomes that little bit less accessible.

Without doubt, this concept has to be the most lateral thinking piece of technology I’ve seen recently.

Just think what it would be capable of if it had GPS built in and a route could be preprogrammed in it from a map. Or a phone providing real time navigation information from a pocket and the cube responding by physically changing. Just brilliant.

Combine mechanical engineering, experimental theater, and an old dark church, and you’re bound to get some interesting results—a new navigation device, for instance.

That’s what happened when Yale University engineer Adam Spiers, a postdoctoral associate in the robotics lab of associate professor Aaron Dollar, worked on a London-based interactive production of “Flatland.” … The sighted and visually impaired audience members were kept in complete darkness most of the time … Guiding them through the darkness were handheld, shape-shifting cubes that Spiers designed and created with 3-D printing technology.

… The top half of the cube twists to direct users toward their next destination and extends forward to indicate the distance to reach it…. users know where to go by feeling the changing shapes.

“The simple idea is that when you’ve arrived at your target destination, it becomes a little cube again,” said Spiers, who specializes in the field of haptics, the sense of touch.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently tweeted, “Accessibility rights are human rights. Celebrating 25yrs of the ADA we’re humbled to improve lives with our products. #ADA25.”Apple and Google have baked strong accessibility tools into the iOS and Android ecosystem, respectively. While some tools are meant to complement third-party devices, from hearing aids to Braille keyboards, many just make the phones themselves easier to use. Some features we all enjoy — think Google Now or Siri, or auto-correction — weren’t designed with accessibility in mind, though they can lend an assist just the same.

Here’s an overview of accessibility features found in both platforms:

On iPhone, start by tapping Settings on the home screen, tapping General and tapping Accessibility.

On Android, go to Settings, scroll down to system settings, and tap Accessibility.